The Daughter of a Saiyan: The Devil You Know
by SandraSmit19
Summary: Better the devil you know than the devil you don't, that's what they say. Another story tied to my Daughter of a Saiyan tale.
1. Chapter 1: A New Enemy

Near the bottom of Mount Frying Pan, lay a meadow, a peaceful oasis of tranquility, disturbed by only one thing.

"He loves me...He loves me not...He loves me..."

A frown crossed the face of the half-Saiyan lying in the grass as she plucked the last daisy leaf off the flower, ending with 'He loves me not'. She threw the remaining stem away, flopping down on her belly in a huff.

_'What does a stupid flower know anyway?' _she brooded, burying her face in her arms, only her dark, narrowed eyes peeking out.

The reason Son Chiara found herself lying in that particular meadow on that particular day was simple. Her little brother was being a pain, her twin brother was being a pain, her mother was being a pain, and her father was...simply clueless. Goten kept badgering her to train him, Gohan kept reminding her of homework that had to be done, and her mother was on her to do chores.

She didn't want to train anybody, she didn't want to do homework, and she definitely didn't want to do chores. She wanted to...well, she didn't know what she wanted but it wasn't to do stuff that meant nothing to her at the moment. All she could think about was 17. All day long she thought about him, wondering what he was doing, if he was thinking of her.

_'Maybe he is but I bet he doesnt think of me as often as I think of him,' _she thought, before remembering the dream she had about him the previous night.

She blushed furiously and quickly pressed her face to the grass to cool it. Occupied as she was by her thoughts and memories, she never noticed the new arrival. She jumped a mile high when a beam of light flashed by her head, missing her by an inch. She jumped to her feet and whirled around in all directions, trying to find her attacker, only now noticing the moderately high powerlevel nearby. _'Stupid, stupid, stupid,'_ she cursed herself. _'If Senpai had been here to see that...'_

She didn't finish the thought as her eyes then landed on her attacker. The man in front of her very closely resembled Dabura and she briefly wondered if perhaps they were related, or at least of the same race. Then she frowned, it didn't matter what he was or wasn't, he had attacked her.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What was the big idea attacking me?"

The being chuckled. "It shall be of no consequence to you," he said, his voice deep but smooth, oily almost. "But if it pleases you to know before you die, my name is Malagar. As for my attack on you, that was merely a taste of what is to come."

"What do you want?" Chiara asked, her frown deepening.

Malagar chuckled once more. "I'm here to take over your pathetic little planet."

Chiara stared at him for a second before she deadpanned, "Of course, what else?"

Malagar seemed taken aback by her response, as if he had expected a dramatic one. Of course, if he had done this before on other planets, perhaps he was used to a dramatic response. _'Well,'_ Chiara thought, defiantly tossing her head, making her black spiky hair bounce slightly. _'He's not getting one from me.'_

"Well, is that all you have to say?" Malagar now demanded. "You do not care I plan to make your planet my next conquest?"

"I think you might want to consider making some other planet your next 'conquest'," Chiara said, folding her arms across her chest. "Things can only end badly for you on this particular one."

Malagar scoffed. "You seem so sure. Why dont you prove it to me?"

A smirk appeared on Chiara's face. "I thought you'd never ask."

He charged at her but even without powering up Chiara overwhelmed him. She sent him to the ground with a single kick, not moving when he got up and flew at her again. She punched him in the abdomen, sending him back to the ground. Malagar slowly got up, his hands steady as he dusted off his clothes. Whatever else he was, he wasnt afraid of her.

"Hm, yes, I can see it's going to take something special to beat you," he smirked. His eyes suddenly widened but his smirk remained. "And here they come now."

Chiara frowned, having sensed what he sensed. Her family and friends were on their way. She supposed that made sense, her powerlevel had gone up a few times.

Right on time, a frantic message came through her link with her twin brother. _'Chi, are you okay?'_

_'I'm fine, bro,'_ Chiara sent back. _'I had expected you to say something earlier.'_

_'I tried, you were blocking me out,'_ came the response.

_'Oh,'_ Chiara frowned. She hadn't realized she was doing that. _'Sorry, won't happen again. Where's dad?'_

An exasperated but fond sigh came through the link. _'Goten wouldn't stay put. Dad should be there any second.'_

Chiara went to say something else when Malagar cut in.

"Yes, they'll do nicely," he sneered. "I think things are about to become very interesting."

Chiara scowled at the man in front of her before powering up and charging at him. She didn't know what he was talking about, but she'd heard enough. As before, the man had no chance of defending himself against her. Though his arms came up, they couldn't stop the kick that sent him straight into the mountain near them. As Chiara landed again, her father popped up right beside her.

"Hey, Chi," he said cheerfully.

"Hey, dad," Chiara said with a slight laugh.

"What's going on?" Goku asked, looking at the spot Chiara had planted Malagar.

Chiara went to answer but was interrupted when Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin and Android 17 arrived. She smiled genuinely at the sight of her twin and their friends. She blushed as her eyes met 17's.

"It's about time you showed up," she joked, trying to hide her now flaming cheeks by ducking her head slightly. "The fight's all but over."

"Just fashionably late, as usual," Krillin quipped in return.

Chiara chuckled and went to ask where 18 and Buu were when the feeling of 17 taking her hand caused the words to get stuck in her throat. She turned her head towards her boyfriend and his gentle smile made her blush spread to her neck and probably her chest as well.

_'Stop blushing, you fool,'_ she berated herself mentally. _'He's gonna think you're an idiot.'_

But the blush wouldn't go and 17 didn't seem to think she was much of an idiot at all, if his smile was anything to go by. Chiara went to say something - what she didn't know - to 17 when Vegeta cut her off.

"Runt," he said gruffly as he walked towards her. "What's going on?"

Chiara resisted the urge to tell him that was exactly what her father had asked moments earlier and said, "His name is Malagar. I don't know where he's from but he came from out of nowhere." She looked at the mountain that still contained the strange new enemy. "He challenged me to a fight, but..."

"I know all that," Vegeta cut her off, impatient as always. "Why isn't he dead yet?"

"She couldn't just kill him, Vegeta," Goku cut in.

Vegeta gave Goku a disdainful look. "You would think that, wouldn't you, Kakkarot?"

Seeing a full-blown fight in the making, Chiara quickly interjected. "I was actually a little distracted. He kept saying things I couldnt make sense of. I kicked him into the mountain to shut him up."

"What was he saying?" Gohan asked.

Chiara opened her mouth to answer him but was once again cut off when Malagar stirred. He slowly and painfully pulled himself out of the hole, falling onto his hands and knees once he was out. Chiara gently extracted her hand from 17's and walked closer to where Malagar was kneeling.

"Runt, you're facing him on your own," Vegeta stated firmly.

Chiara blinked at the abrupt statement as the Z-team blanched in surprise.

"What?" Gohan cried. "No, we should work together. It's safer that way."

"This is a perfect opportunity to see what we need to work on in training," Vegeta said, ignoring Gohan and walking to an area near where the others were standing. "Don't let me down."

At those last words, Chiara righted herself, straightening to her full height - which was far from impressive - and nodding. If her Senpai wanted her to fight on her own, thats what she would do. And no, she would *not* be letting him down.

"Gosh, Vegeta," Goku began, following him.

After a moment, the others did the same, Gohan and 17 with visible reluctance.

"You think it'll be okay?" Goku finished.

"Of course it'll be okay," Vegeta snapped. "The runt is one of the strongest fighters on the planet."

Goku pushed away the familiar annoyance of hearing Vegeta call his daughter a runt and nodded. The enemy really wasn't that strong and Chiara really was one of the strongest. Still though, he had a feeling something was gonna happen and he wasn't at all sure it was gonna be good. Chiara walked a little closer still as Malagar continued to kneel.

"It is as I thought," he choked out as she stood near him. "No matter, I will soon prevail."

Chiara raised an eyebrow at that. "Buddy, I kicked you once and you nearly died. I hardly think you have any chance of 'prevailing'."

"Youll see," Malagar said, a pained grin appearing on his face.

He raised his hands, palms pointed at himself, and a green glow appeared that before long surrounded him. When the glow disappeared, Malagar got up from where he had been kneeling, no injuries on him. Chiara heard the others exclaim behind her as she herself took a surprised step back.

"Did he just...heal himself?" she heard Krillin ask.

Chiara stared at Malagar in disbelief as he smirked at her.

"Now allow me to show you what I can do," he said, before crouching down into a fighting stance.

Chiara watched as he powered up, his hands glowing and crackling energy surrounding him.

"Runt, watch yourself," she heard her Senpai yell from behind her.

She didn't turn around to speak to him, or even to look at him, her attention focused only on her opponent. What kind of attacking was he preparing? Her answer came when what looked like a dark grey cloud shot forward from his hands, almost faster than she could react. She teleported just in time, appearing a short distance away. She saw the cloud head for her family, called out a warning but it was too late, the cloud was too fast. Chiara looked on anxiously as the cloud dissipated, only to find that no harm had been done to them. She stared in surprise for a moment before turning back to Malagar, who was looking at her with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Hm, I hadn't counted on you being able to teleport," he said. "It matters little, the damage is done."

"What are you talking? No damage was done at all," Chiara said, feeling almost disappointed at his apparent weakness. She teleported again, reappearing in front of him. "If that's all you got, you have a big problem."

But the smirk that had been on Malagar's face reappeared. If anything it was bigger than it had been before.

"No, little girl," he said, his tone malicious. "I think it is you who has a big problem."

Chiara frowned, crossing her arms in annoyance. Now what was he talking about? Before she could ask, however, she suddenly felt her father power up behind her. She frowned, not sure what he was doing. Wasn't she supposed to face him on her own? Maybe he had changed his mind, but surely her Senpai would protest. And besides which, Malagar wasn't strong enough to beat her. She didn't need help.

She was still mulling this over as Goku began to chant, "Kame...hame..."

It was natural instinct honed by years of training, and that instinct alone, that had her teleport out of the way as he finished his chant.

"...ha."

Her father's signature attack missed her by a hairs breadth and she actually felt the percussion of the attack go through her as she appeared some 20 feet away. Once again, it was only her instinct that had her dodge her twin's physical attack and had her teleport out of the way of her Senpai's Final Flash. Appearing in the air some distance away, Chiara's eyes were wide as she turned towards her family and friends, who were now all turned towards her, their eyes glowing red, their faces contorted with rage.


	2. Chapter 2: The Z Team Attacks

Disclaimer: I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter, so Ill put it in here. I own nothing but Chiara and Malagar.

Note: Am I happy about this chapter? Not on your life. My inspiration for this story has completely abandoned me, but I tried the best I could. I hope it meets your expectations.

Chapter 2:

_'Its a test',_ Chiara thought wildly as her loved ones attacked her. _'Thats all it is, just a test. Theyll stop soon.'_

But they didn't stop, nor did they even slow down. She managed to fend off most of their attacks, but she was no match for her father or her Senpai and she was rapidly losing strength. She was teleporting left and right but her father simply followed her with his own instant transmission. When she spotted an opening, she sent her father to the ground, teleporting out of her Senpai's way. Malagar was hovering not far from her, a smirk on his face.

"What did you do?" she yelled at him, fury in her voice.

"Exactly what I said I would," he returned, his tone smug and positively victorious. "I prevailed."

Chiara went to say something but was interrupted by her father, who flew at her and attacked her. She dodged one attack only to get hit by another and soon she was back on the ground, face down and unable to get up. Her blood boiled as she listened to Malagar laughing from his position in the air.

"Whats the matter, little girl?" he asked mockingly. "Can't get up?"

Chiara fought to ignore his mocking as she got up from the ground. She leapt into the air again, but it was short-lived. They were simply too much for her and after being beaten down a dozen times, she ran out of fight. After once again hitting the ground, she placed her hands on the ground and pushed up with all her might. It was no use, her body simply wouldn't cooperate. Then suddenly, she was off the ground, hanging by the back of her neck in her father's right hand. She could only weakly kick her legs and couldn't move her arms at all.

"I think its time we end this," she heard Malagar say from what seemed like far away, as black spots were swimming in front of her eyes.

She felt her father's power course through him from where she was dangling from his hand and realized he was really going to do it, her own father was truly going to kill her. And then it happened. One second she was dangling from her father's hand, the next she was on her back on the ground, still hurt but also still alive. As consciousness began to escape her, the fight that had erupted between her father and two unexpected arrivals ended. When the smoke had cleared, Goten and Trunks stood in front of her, both in fighting stance, scared but determined.

"We dont know whats going on here, but you are not hurting Chi," Trunks yelled.

Goten nodded curtly, his small fists clenched as he scowled up at the grown-ups in front of them. Though his stance was determined and he truly wouldn't let them hurt his sister, his mind was in disarray. Why were his father and brother attacking Chiara? Why were Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin and 17 helping them? Who was the spooky man nearby? He pushed the questions away when a groan came from behind them. Both Trunks and Goten had received sufficient training to know not to turn their backs on an enemy but they both came close to doing so all the same.

"I'll try to keep them busy," Trunks said to Goten, before ordering, "You get Chi out of here."

Goten nodded, before turning and running to Chiaras side, who was only half conscious. Goten picked her up and draped her over his shoulders before taking off into the air. He had gone no more than a few feet when he found himself forced to stop, nearly flying headfirst into his big brother.

"Hey," he cried. "What are you doing, Gohan?"

Gohan didn't answer, he didn't even seem to hear him. He simply raised an arm and powered up an attack. Goten jumped back in shock, just barely avoiding getting hit by Gohans attack.

"Hey," he cried again. "What's the big idea?"

The big idea became clear when Gohan charged at him and kicked him in the stomach, sending both him and Chiara back to the ground. Goten quickly crawled back to Chiara, who was now laying on her left side.

Meanwhile, Trunks was hard-pressed to defend himself against his father and his best friend's father. He didn't understand why they didn't just beat him down when he suddenly realized they weren't fighting together. They were taking turns.

_'Theyre toying with me,'_ he realized. _'They could kill me easily but they want to play with me first. How are we gonna get out of here?'_ Then it hit him. _'Of course,'_ he thought triumphantly.

He dodged another attack and quickly made his way back to where his best friend and said best friend's big sister were. He rushed to their sides, hoping Goku and Vegeta would leave them alone for just a second, just long enough to make an escape.

"She has to teleport," he immediately said, reaching their side. "It's our only way outta here."

Goten stared at Trunks for a second before grasping what he was saying.

"Oh yeah," he blinked. "She can teleport."

Both boys began to try and wake Chiara up, shaking her and calling her name.

"Enough of this playing around," they suddenly heard the strange looking man shout. "Finish them."

"Chi, you have to teleport," Trunks said, his voice rising an octave.

Goten and Trunks heard Gohan's voice yell 'MASENKO' and they looked up just long enough to see the attack coming.

"TELEPORT, CHI!" Goten and Trunks yelled together.

The Masenko hit the spot Goten, Trunks and Chiara were in, causing a loud and violent explosion. The Earth shook, trees going down nearby, but when the dust settled, the three half-Saiyans were gone. The corrupted z-team fighters went to go after them, with Goku already placing two fingers on his forehead, but Malagar spoke up.

"Let them go," he ordered, stopping his new lackeys in their tracks. "We have work to do."

* * *

When the three half-Saiyans popped up in a field somewhere, Trunks slumped to the ground.

"That was so close," he said. "One second longer and we would have been goners."

Goten nodded, wiping sweat off his forehead. "Yeah, really."

Both boys simultaneously remembered Chiara and quickly went to her side.

"Is she alright?" Trunks asked anxiously. "Is she breathing?"

"I think so," Goten said, his voice quivering. "But she needs help."

Trunks racked his brain for a moment, trying to think of something.

"Of course," he finally said, his face brightening. "We can take her to my house and put her in a rejuvenation tank. That'll heal her, no sweat."

"How do we get to your house?" Goten asked. "If we fly, the bad guys might catch us." It vaguely registered that he had just called his family and friends the bad guys, but there was no time to think about it.

"Chi can teleport us there," Trunks said before leaning over her. "Chi, can you hear me?"

There was no response from the female Saiyan, except for her eyes opening ever so slightly.

"You need to teleport to my home," Trunks said.

Chiara coughed once, specks of blood staining her lips, and then fell silent, her eyes shutting again.

"She's unconscious," Goten cried, tears welling up in his eyes.

Trunks forced his own tears back and swallowed hard. "We're gonna have to take her to my house ourselves."

Trunks and Goten picked Chiara up, draping her limp form over their shoulders and prepared to fly off when they became aware of something happening in the towns nearby. They could sense their family and friends powering up and could feel tiny powerlevels disappearing by the hundreds.

"They're... killing people," Trunks stammered.

Goten swallowed hard, tears rising in his eyes. People were dying and there was nothing they could do.

"Come on," Trunks said, his voice trembling. "We better go, before they decide to come look for us."

When they arrived at the Capsule Corporation, they were greeted by a frantic Bulma, who upon seeing Chiara all but torn to pieces, grew even more hysterical. She demanded to know what was going on, but Trunks and Goten had no answers for her, only their own questions.

After Trunks and Goten hoisted her into a rejuvenation tank, Bulma called ChiChi, who was beside herself when she heard what had happened, yelling about untrustworthy men and backstabbing friends, before agreeing there had to be more to the story. What it was, they didn't know. And with Chiara beaten down, Trunks and Goten nowhere near strong enough to fight Goku and the others, and no more information on what was happening, there was nothing they could do but wait for Chiara to wake up.


	3. Chapter 3: The Final Fight

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Other people do. I'm rotten stinking jealous of them.

Chapter 3:

When Chiara opened her eyes, her surroundings were blurred and murky. It took her almost a full minute to realize she was in a rejuvenation tank. Moving slightly told her she wasn't done healing yet and she tiredly sagged against the inside of the tank, her eyes closing again.

She remembered what had happened, and wished that she didn't. Her father, her twin brother, her Senpai, her friends, all of them had been turned against her, and though the physical injuries were bad, they were nothing compared to the mental anguish. She swallowed hard as she remembered their faces. Foreign yet so painfully familiar. What had Malagar done? What attack or - more likely - spell had he used and how was she supposed to undo it? There was no doubt in her mind that it would fall to her to do something about it, there was nobody else left.

_'Except of course Goten and Trunks,' _she thought and a wave of pride flooded her. Her recollection of their arrival on the battle field was vague, but she knew they had saved her life. Now what she had to do was heal fully and formulate a plan, though she had no clue what that plan would be.

It took her another half hour to heal completely. After an emotional reunion with Trunks, Goten and Bulma, she ordered the two half-Saiyans to stay at Capsule Corporation while she went to find Malagar. She hadn't been able to come up with a good plan but she couldn't just sit there and do nothing any longer. Trunks and Goten protested fiercely but Chiara would not be swayed, she was going alone.

* * *

Upon arriving in West City, near Capsule Corporation, Chiara was met with nothing but destruction. The entire city had been laid to waste and as she hovered in the air, Chiara knew there were no survivors. She also knew all other cities were in much the same state. With Goku, Vegeta and Gohan fighting on his side, the major cities had fallen to Malagar swiftly, and as much as she ached to undo the damage done by them, she had to let it go. She couldn't worry about that now. She had to find a way to defeat Malagar and get her family and friends back.

Before she could go to them, however, Earth's new enemies came to her. Chiara scowled at the smirking alien hovering behind his lackeys. She would see him dead if it was the last thing she did. She would grab him by his big ears and show him what Son Chiara was capable of. She turned away from him and focused her attention on the fighters that could actually hurt her. Goku, Gohan, Vegeta. They were all there, their eyes red, their features hateful

This couldn't be real. They couldn't be gone completely. She closed her eyes and reached out, reached for the mental link she had shared with her twin for over eighteen years.

_'Gohan,' _she sent. _'Gohan, please. Talk to me.'_

For a moment she thought there would be no answer but there was. Her eyes flew open again and a shriek was torn from her throat. He wasn't gone, she could still feel him, but what had come her way when the link opened had been...dark, pitch black and all wrong.

She gasped for air as she looked into the glowing eyes of her family and friends. How was she going to fight them? She had no more time to think about it when Malagar ordered them to attack her once more. Only Gohan, Vegeta and Goku attacked her, 17, Piccolo and Krillin stayed with Malagar. For protection, or perhaps because they weren't needed. It didn't matter. Chiara got ready, moving into a fighting stance. It was time to fight.

Fighting them, however, confirmed what Chiara had already known. It was pointless, they were too strong. All she could do was teleport out of the way for much of the fight but she wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. She knew she was lucky that none of them had turned into Super Saiyans. Whether that was because they couldn't, or because they felt they didn't have to, she didn't know. She prayed it was the former.

Vegeta sent a Final Flash her way and she prepared to teleport out of the way when two smaller beams sent the Final Flash into a different direction. Recognizing the two voices that had come from behind her and recognizing the ki-signatures, Chiara scowled. She whirled around to the two young boys now hovering to her left.

"I told you two to stay at home," she yelled at them.

"You need help, Chi," Trunks yelled back. "And were all you have right now."

Chiara went to say something else but before she could, Vegeta and Gohan had lunged at the two small half-Saiyans, sending both boys into the ground. Chiara screamed as they went down. She let out another shriek as Gohan sent a Masenko after the little boys and without even realizing what she was doing, she rushed forward. She stepped into the path of the Masenko, the loud explosion that ensued rocking the Earth.

When the smoke cleared, Son Chiara was still in the air but she looked slightly different. Her hair was golden, her eyes were green. Malagar frowned. The possessed z-team scowled. Trunks and Goten gawked. Son Chiara had turned Super Saiyan for only the second time in her life.

"Don't you ever touch them," she growled.

* * *

Being a Super Saiyan meant she stood a fighting chance but not against all three of them at the same time, even if none of them turned into Super Saiyans themselves. She managed to fight them for a good long time but in the end, what she needed to do was clear. She needed to kill Malagar. If she didn't, they would kill her. She mustered all of her strength, all of her power and with a loud scream sent Goku and Gohan into the ground, a swift kick sending Vegeta after them. She said a little prayer in her head and teleported.

Malagar attempted to leap back but, even injured, Chiara was too fast for him. Her hands locked around his thick throat and she pulled him close. She ignored the attacks of 17, Piccolo and Krillin. She could handle their kicks and punches and their ki-attacks couldn't hurt her, not as a Super Saiyan.

She stared into Malagars distorted face for the very last time, and this time it was her turn to smirk. "I told you," she whispered, her voice triumphant despite quavering in pain. "Things can only end badly for you on this planet."

Malagar attempted to struggle but it was useless. Chiara powered up once to send 17, Piccolo and Krillin flying away from her, and then with what had to be the last of her power she sent Malagar straight to Hell.


	4. Chapter 4: The End

Disclaimer: I still own nothing but what you don't recognize. Still jealous of the people who do own DBZ.

A/N: A very special thanks to Clare Stovold and Nostalgic Beauty for your reviews. They really made me feel better =D. This is the end of the story I'm afraid. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Chapter 4: Epilogue.

When the fog lifted, all the Z-team members stood in confusion. What had happened? They felt like they had awoken from a nightmare. A desperate cry broke through their confusion.

"CHI!" Gohan yelled.

Son Chiara was laying face down on the grass, two small and banged up half-Saiyans at her side. The female half-Saiyan wasn't moving, nor did she appear to be breathing. Gohan kneeled down next to her as Goten and Trunks watched him tensely.

They wanted to believe it was over and their family and friends didn't seem possessed anymore but they would be ready just in case. If any of them tried to hurt Chiara any further...

Gohan, meanwhile, checked his twin sister for a pulse. The others gathered around, all of them anxiously looking on.

"She's still alive," Gohan said to his father, pain evident in his voice. "But she won't be for much longer if we don't do something."

Goku nodded resolutely before raising two fingers to his forehead and disappearing. When he reappeared, Dende was with him. Dende needed no instruction, having followed the battle from his look-out, and immediately set out to heal Chiara.

* * *

Chiara's first sight upon opening her eyes was her twin brother's face hovering over her. Pure instinct had her leap to her feet and land some distance away from him. The move seemed to have startled the z-team members standing nearby, but none of them seemed surprised. Goku walked closer to her and opened his mouth to say something when he was cut off.

"CHI!" two little voices cried.

Chiara found herself falling back to the ground, her arms filled with two excitedly chattering demi-saiyans.

"We did it, Chi," Goten was saying.

"We beat him," Trunks added. "Well, you beat him, but we helped."

"You were awesome, Chi," Goten cried.

This statement was followed by the two boys jumping from her arms and reenacting the battle Chiara had fought, showing what moves she had used and telling her how cool they had been. A small smile had formed on Chiara's face since the second they had jumped into her arms, but it faded when she caught sight of the people standing around them.

She looked around at them, her family and friends. The very family and friends she had been fighting not even an hour before. They were all looking at her, their faces sad, except for her Senpai, who was turned away from them all, his body tense, his stance rigid. Piccolo was off to the side, his arms crossed, his head lowered and his eyes closed. She could feel his distress, she could feel all of their distress but she couldn't move. It was like she was frozen. It was her twin brother who finally stepped forward.

"Chi," Gohan whispered brokenly, his hands reaching for her.

Chiara closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, searching for their mental link, finding it open wide. For a moment she didn't dare breathe. What would she encounter? Was her brother truly back? Her eyes shot open when Gohan answered, his loving words causing a sob to escape her lips.

All of her hesitation melted away as she stepped into her twin's embrace, his arms coming up around her to hold her tight. She felt his body shaking as she sobbed into his chest and knew he was fighting his own tears. He planted a kiss on the top of her head and she cried harder. It was over, it was finally over.

* * *

After the emotional reunion between Chiara and Gohan, an equally emotional reunion followed between the others. Tears and apologies flowed freely - though all but Chiara, Goten and Trunks would deny shedding any of the former - and when everyone had said what they needed to, they were all smiling, even Vegeta, though his was more of a smirk.

After Goku brought Dende back to his look-out, the z-team members set about going home. They said goodbye to Krillin, who went back to the house he shared with his wife and daughter, and Piccolo, who went back to the woods.

Chiara turned to her Senpai and sighed. His dark eyes were fixed on her face, his stance more relaxed now, though the tension had yet to disappear completely from his frame.

"I know you don't like the whole hugging thing," Chiara finally said. "But..."

She stepped forward and threw her arms around him, hugging him for a long moment. She didn't expect him to hug her back. He never did. But just before she let him go, his arms came up and for a brief second, they closed around her and held her. When she stepped away from him, she was smiling widely.

"Runt," Vegeta said as he turned his body away, a small - almost - smile on his face. "You did good."

And with those words, he took off, heading back to the Capsule Corporation. Trunks hugged Chiara tightly before waving wildly at the others and following after his father. Chiara watched them go, weary to the bone but relieved that everything was okay again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by 17 slipping his hand into hers. She looked up at him and smiled, for once without blushing. She melted into his arms when he spread them in invitation and they stood there like that for a long time. When they finally said goodbye and Chiara had watched him fly away until she couldn't see him anymore, she turned to her father and brothers. Goten was smiling but Goku and Gohan were not.

"We attacked you," Goku said, his face uncharacteristically solemn.

"It doesn't matter, dad," Chiara insisted. "It's done now. It's over."

"But we..." Gohan began.

"Bro," Chiara cut in. "We talked about this. It's done. Let it go."

Gohan slowly nodded, though he obviously didn't agree at all.

Chiara then smiled broadly and said, "Now, come on. Let's go home. I've missed mom like crazy."


End file.
